The film basically used the original cast of Broadway. After watching this movie twice, I went to Broadway in New York to watch a live show. My own translation is "Lease Life". I was moved to tears in the Netherlands Theater. For the ideals and perseverances that have passed away, No Day But Today, I live with the crowd for eighty years, and live my true self. In a flash, which one is the most worthwhile?
Below is a post by the original author Jonanthan Larson that
I wrote specifically for this musical: I don’t have many genuine DVDs, but this "Rent" ( Yoshiya Rental) is worthy of the name. I have a wish, hoping to go to Broadway to watch "Rent" on stage again. Of course, maybe, watching it again is not enough. After "Rent" was put on stage in 1996, the actors said that they could even recognize many of the audience. Fans who love "Rent" jokingly call themselves "Renthead". When the show just moved to Broadway, according to the author's wishes, the price of the first two rows of the theater was only $20 (usually one or two hundred dollars). As a result, a ticket is hard to find, and renters often have to line up in the sleeper berth on the street at the ticket office to buy tickets from the first day. The reporters interviewed by the TV station often see that after the performance of the first day, the audience filed out of the theater, circled a circle and walked directly back to the ticket office, lining up in the sleeper berth to buy tickets for the next day.
This post is not about "Rent", but its author, Jonathan Larson.
Jonathan Larson was born on February 7, 1960 in a small town outside of New York City. He was extremely talented in drama and acting since he was a child. In the year he graduated from high school, he received a four-year full scholarship from the Acting Department of Adelphi University. However, when all the friends and family around him believed that he would become an outstanding actor, he resolutely gave up acting. He said that he wanted to write music.
After graduation, Jonathan went to the coveted New York City. Can he, who excels in school, still succeed in the real society?
Like all down-and-coming street performers, Jonathan finally shared a dilapidated apartment in Greewich Village. When his college friend visits him, he must call him at the corner of the street and ask him to throw the key from the upper floor to the street to open the door like this. Such a real detail was later incorporated into the storyline of "Rent".
After entering his apartment, friends said that such a harsh environment is often unbearable. In that small room, the bathtub was actually next to the kitchen, and the toilet was under the skylight. So they have to get used to having someone taking a shower next to them while eating, and try to avoid splashing the bath water on the food. At the same time, in such a cold New York, this room is completely unheated. For a long time, Jonathan and his roommates had to illegally burn wood in the room to keep warm.
And Jonathan Larson didn't seem to take it seriously.
Jonathan wrote songs day and night, although no one had to pay to make his music. In order to make ends meet, he worked as a waiter in a small restaurant called Moondance Diner in SoHo. This job of cleaning the table and collecting dishes is his source of income for life. He deliberately arranges his schedule as part-time work on weekends, and writes music all day from Monday to Thursday. His music can't bring him any income, so he basically leads a life without a meal. He has worked in restaurants to make ends meet for nearly ten years.
It is worth mentioning that when Jonathan was working at Moondance Diner, he met another actor/singer Jesse Martin who made a living by collecting dishes. Jesse Martin later played the gay Tom Collins in the original cast of "Rent" (also in the movie version), and he became an instant hit. Before Jesse Martin became famous, he worked in countless restaurants. When he billed his guests, he would say: "You take it well, because I will be very famous in the future." In fact, when the TV series starring Jesse Martin was broadcast on CBS, he was giving Guests serve pizza.
When Jonathan worked in a restaurant, he dated a girl who danced for four years. During these four years, his girlfriend betrayed him frequently and had affair with other men. In the end, the girl completely abandoned Jonathan and walked with another woman. This dramatic life experience is exactly the original story of the relationship between Mark and Maureen in "Rent".
Jonathan’s best friend is gay, and he watched three or four friends die of AIDS. The public opinion at the time was quite disapproving of AIDS, which touched him a lot. He had followed a good friend to a sharing party for AIDS patients. He said that he was deeply impressed that an AIDS patient stood up and said that the doctor told him there were two years to live. "This is not terrible," said the AIDS person. "The terrible thing is, will I lose my dignity?" Jonathan wrote this feeling into "Rent".
In that era, all the stage plays were relatively traditional and classical, did not reflect the modern life of the American rock culture in the 1980s, and did not attract the younger generation of musical works. Many of Jonathan's friends, even though they are considered music experts, are reluctant to watch musical stage plays. They say that the work model that has remained unchanged for decades is too far out of touch with the times. Jonathan is determined to change all of this. He confidently said that he would bring a revolution in stage play.
Before "Rent", he wrote a lot of musicals. None of them were successfully produced and staged. The longest time-consuming is a science fiction drama called "Superbia". He and his friends worked hard on this work for seven years. Although this work won an award and performed once in public, it didn't get the chance to be produced and distributed in the end. This time the failure was a huge blow to Jonathan.
In 1988, another playwright, Billy Aronson, came up with the idea of bringing Puccini's famous opera "Bohemians" to the modern stage. After he discussed with Jonathan Larson, the eager Jonathan took this plan to himself and named the play "Rent". In 1993, the first draft of "Rent" was finally appreciated by a New York Theatre Workshop, and actors were recruited for a three-week performance.
After seven years of sculpting and modification, on January 25, 1996, "Rent" finally released its first audition (Preview, not an informal performance) at the New York Threatre Workshop. That day, the audience was packed, tickets were sold out very early, and even reporters from the "New York Times" quietly came to the scene. After the performance, there was a thunderous cheers in the audience. The reporters had to pull Jonathan to the ticket office for interviews, so that they could hear each other's conversations. The reporter told him that this is a very shocking musical.
Jonathan was extremely excited for the first day of audition. For future official performances, there may be many things that can be improved. More importantly, he feels that he can finally escape the days of not having enough meals and become a true musical dramatist. At three o'clock in the morning that day, he boiled a pot of water and prepared to make a cup of tea. Maybe he was still holding the coat in his hands, and he fell on the cold floor of the kitchen. The next morning, his roommate found his body.
He died of aortic dissection at the age of 35.
Jonathan Larson didn't see his dream come true with his own eyes. He didn't even see the official performance of "Rent" the next day. That day, the performance was not cancelled. Everyone quietly sat on the stage and sang these two dozen classics written by him. After the performance, the audience was silent. About a minute later, everyone said in unison:
"Thank you, Jonanthan Larson"
Jonathan did not see the performance period of "Rent" being extended again and again, and finally stepped onto the Broadway stage. He did not see the long queue at the ticket office, and even President Clinton brought his daughter to watch. He did not see that just a few months later, "Rent" won six Drama Desk Awards, three Obie Awards, four Tony Awards, and even the highest award in the global media—Pulitzer Drama Prize (Pulitzer Drama Prize). ).
Ten years later, people from all over the world went to New York to see the classic Broadway "Rent". Its theme song "Seasons of Love" was covered by many stars all over the world. Staying outside the Netherlands Theater, I don’t think a sixteen or seventeen-year-old kid will know who Jonathan Larson is, let alone his death. But we love "Rent" so much. I think this is the best compensation for Jonanthan Larson.
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